Don't be too quick to judge VA system

Since 1991, my health care has been provided by Hines VA Hospital. I also spent the 1960s and 1970s in the medical fields of the Navy. I have seen the medical delivery systems functioning from the perspective of both provider and recipient.

In my experience, I have yet to find any of these horrific problems in the administrative areas, the clinics or the surgical services. Nor have I experienced any undue delay in scheduling services. I have listened to the interviews with next of kin who have claimed their loved ones died because of a lack of care. To me, while their loss is very real, the cause of the loss is unclear and certainly doesn't seem consistent with what any emergency service would deliver.

There is no doubt modifications are necessary. But the secretary has opened up the VA to more veterans and cut the backlog of claims by 50 percent while at the same time Congress has closed the zipper on funds. The VA was about the first health system to digitize medical records. It also negotiates drug prices (Congress specifically prohibited that in Medicare Part D).

I do not doubt that there may be serious problems at the Phoenix VA Hospital. But, based on the edited statements that have been televised so far, one simply cannot determine responsibility at this point. A congressional hearing is nothing more than a political speech exercise, particularly in this day and age and the televised press is not much better at accurate reporting.

Yes, this is only my experience with the VA, but surely they haven't picked me for red carpet treatment. Use your head - if an employee does not tell the boss that he is fudging a figure is the boss at fault or is it the dishonest employee?

James Prescott

Schaumburg